Author Topic: Windows strikes again  (Read 3456 times)

Cliffh

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,227
Windows strikes again
« on: November 13, 2017, 12:13:53 AM »
Night before last I was sitting here watching TV while Win10 Pro downloaded and tried to install the latest updates.  I say tried to 'cause Windows did an auto-reboot and trashed itself.  All I get now is a message that a device can't be accessed - the device being the hard drive.

The BIOS has what seems to be a pretty thorough hardware test.  It tested every component, they all passed, including the HDD.

The laptop was bought as a refurb, no disk supplied but there is a restore partition.  Problem right now is that the refurb folks didn't include instructions on how to access the partition without Windows running - a shift/restart will access it if Windows is running.  Of course they're closed for the weekend.  And their website sucks, there's no info there except some FAQ's and contact info.

I'm hoping that Win10 is better at over-installing than most of the previous versions.  I'd just gotten this thing configured to my liking and the thought of doing it again is disheartening.

lee n. field

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 13,534
  • tinpot megalomaniac, Paulbot, hardware goon
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2017, 08:38:18 AM »
If you can get to the Windows Recovery Environment (what comes up if you can catch the boot menu, and pick "repair my computer"), you can do a refresh or reset.  Or their may be a custom menu option that kicks off the recovery process.

If you have access to another computer, you can use MS' media creation tool to make a  bootable usb stick for installing win10.

Yeah, it does break bad, now and again.
In thy presence is fulness of joy.
At thy right hand pleasures for evermore.

HeroHog

  • Technical Site Pig
  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8,030
  • It can ALWAYS get worse!
    • FaceButt Profile
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2017, 09:26:24 AM »
My new HP notebook is ticking me off and I think it's something I did in the stuff I installed OR the stuff I removed when "cleaning house" of the bloatware that came with it. I'm doing a full wipe and restore probably later today...
I might not last very long or be very effective but I'll be a real pain in the ass for a minute!
MOLON LABE!

Cliffh

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,227
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2017, 02:09:02 PM »
Found a (non-MS) site where I can use IE8 to download the creation tool.  May have to give it a try.  I'm going to call the refurb folks shortly, since they haven't answered my email yet.

Firethorn

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5,789
  • Where'd my explosive space modulator go?
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2017, 02:14:22 PM »
The BIOS has what seems to be a pretty thorough hardware test.  It tested every component, they all passed, including the HDD.

Did it do a read test on the HD?  Because it might be testing more basic things than you think, only that the HD hardware is responding and providing an interface.

If it throws read errors the moment you try to access the boot sector...

A boot disk or thumbdrive of Ubuntu(Linux flavor) would let you mount and scan the drive extremely thoroughly.

Mannlicher

  • Grumpy Old Gator
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1,435
  • The Bonnie Blue
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2017, 02:19:07 PM »
struggling with Windows half my life.  lol   
Last week, went to boot up the PC,  and got a message after a long wait, that Windows could not start.  I ran the diagnostics that popped up, and after 30 min,  the PC tried again to boot up.  Failure again.  This happened several times before Windows 7 finally fired up.   I have backed up the entire hard drive on two external hard drives, but have not shut down the PC again since.
Next week I am going to buy a new lap top.  At least I have all my doc files and pictures saved.
Thought about going with an Apple, but just don't want to learn a new operating system and pay three times what  new PC will cost.

Cliffh

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,227
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2017, 09:13:23 PM »
I'm not sure what all the BIOS tested, I had it run the thorough test on just the HDD that took over an hour to finish, with all tests passed.

Called tech support this afternoon.  Turns out the laptop's still under warranty, tech support said they'd be shipping out a restore disk with instructions and a puppy - what?? - well, a picture of a puppy ;)


lee n. field

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 13,534
  • tinpot megalomaniac, Paulbot, hardware goon
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #7 on: November 14, 2017, 08:28:59 AM »
Passing all those diags doesn't necessarily mean the disk is fine.
In thy presence is fulness of joy.
At thy right hand pleasures for evermore.

Cliffh

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,227
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #8 on: November 14, 2017, 06:47:39 PM »
No it doesn't, but one can hope. 

I'll have a better idea once the disk gets here.

Firethorn

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5,789
  • Where'd my explosive space modulator go?
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #9 on: November 14, 2017, 07:16:39 PM »
Do you have another windows 10 system?  You can build a boot disk using that with a USB or DVD.

Cliffh

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,227
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #10 on: November 14, 2017, 09:55:38 PM »
I do have access to one.  Does it matter that one's Home and the other's Pro? 

And, if you don't mind saving me a bit of time, what's the process using a flash drive?

Firethorn

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5,789
  • Where'd my explosive space modulator go?
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #11 on: November 14, 2017, 10:04:26 PM »

Cliffh

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,227
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #12 on: November 14, 2017, 10:09:09 PM »
Thanks :) 

(Looking around 2 desks and an end table)...Now where did I put that empty flash drive?

Brad Johnson

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 18,030
  • Witty, charming, handsome, and completely insane.
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #13 on: November 15, 2017, 10:05:09 AM »
Win10 has a pretty nifty disk image utility once you get your machine back up and running.

Brad
It's all about the pancakes, people.
"And he thought cops wouldn't chase... a STOLEN DONUT TRUCK???? That would be like Willie Nelson ignoring a pickup full of weed."
-HankB

Cliffh

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,227
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #14 on: November 17, 2017, 10:58:16 PM »
Picked up a new USB drive today, downloaded the Media Creation Tool, then found it won't run on XP.  Nuts!  To run it I'm going to have to pry SWMBO laptop out of her hands.  Tomorrow.  It's getting too late to mess with it tonight.

Also got the restore disk from the refurb folks today.  Think I'll run the MS tool first, just to see what I can see.

Win10 has a pretty nifty disk image utility once you get your machine back up and running.

I'll have to look into that.  I've got a USB HDD connector and a couple of old HDD's floating around.

Firethorn

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5,789
  • Where'd my explosive space modulator go?
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #15 on: November 19, 2017, 01:33:28 AM »
Picked up a new USB drive today, downloaded the Media Creation Tool, then found it won't run on XP.  Nuts!  To run it I'm going to have to pry SWMBO laptop out of her hands.  Tomorrow.  It's getting too late to mess with it tonight.

Uh, sorry about that, I did ask if you had another windows 10 machine though.  You can't use a XP machine because it depends upon using the system files for your current OS.

I'd use the restore disk, but I'll warn you that it's likely to want to wipe your system and reimage it to factory original, which you might be able to avoid with the boot disk from the media creation tool.

Cliffh

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,227
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #16 on: November 22, 2017, 07:39:29 PM »
Yes you did, and yes I do - just had to ask real nice.

Well, both the media creation tool and the system restore disk had tools to try to fix a Windows install - none of the tools were able to bring it to life.

So I bit the bullet and used the restore disk.  A couple funny things about the restore disk: first it's on a DVD-R, second is that this install of Windows isn't exactly the same as what was on the system originally.  There are a couple of programs installed that originally weren't (games, Skype, etc.), there are settings I don't remember seeing before and some I do remember I can't seem to find yet.  Oh well, at least it's running again. 

I just wish it didn't take so long to configure Windows, the to-do list keeps getting longer faster than I can take things off it.

RoadKingLarry

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 21,841
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #17 on: November 22, 2017, 09:46:25 PM »
Well crap. We might need a PC repair subforum here. The wife's machine seems to have crapped the HDD. Of course she just started a big project for a local high schools basketball program.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.

Samuel Adams

lee n. field

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 13,534
  • tinpot megalomaniac, Paulbot, hardware goon
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #18 on: November 22, 2017, 10:41:33 PM »
backups?
In thy presence is fulness of joy.
At thy right hand pleasures for evermore.

RoadKingLarry

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 21,841
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #19 on: November 23, 2017, 12:11:08 AM »
All the diags I can run show a dead HDD, unfortunately I don't have a spare to test with so just have to pick one up.

She backs everything to a 2Tb external drive so that won't be a problem. She learned that lesson the hard way quite a few years ago. Somehow it was my fault that despite my telling her to make backups and showing her how to do it on the machine she was using at the time she didn't make backups and spent several days re-doing a lot of work.
If it wasn't the holiday weekend I could probably make a run to BestBuy, grad a HDD and have her back up and running by early afternoon tomorrow.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.

Samuel Adams

Cliffh

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,227
Re: Windows strikes again
« Reply #20 on: November 28, 2017, 02:33:10 PM »
I'm going to start looking at some of the NAS units and the Windows 10 imaging utility.

I know I should have done this years ago, but got complacent & over-confident.